Meet Theclia! Isn’t she stunning! I was blown away by this women’s beauty and confidence! With only knowing her 5 minutes, I knew she was a very strong woman! Please know that when I took these images of these gorgeous women, I did not read their stories before hand! Here’s her story :

Okay so here’s my story full of challenges and triumphs. I’m a single mom of 5 great children, 3 girls {22, 18, and 13} & 2 boys {16 and 9}, and have been my main reason for fighting this thing called Breast Cancer. I know that God isn’t finished with me yet, so there’s no need for me to stop fighting now. I almost died in December of 2011 by accident, I had a UTI that infected my kidneys and was traveling through my blood; and I was a full-time college student enrolled in 5 classes stressing and studying for finals. I had a little pain at first that turn ugly fast, but I had one day until my finals and I promised by older girls that I would go to the hospital after my last final. Needless to say it didn’t work out that way, I was rushed to the hospital only to find out that I would have been dead in 3 hours if my daughter hadn’t call the ambulance. So now it’s 2012 and the doctor still has me on bed rest until a day before Spring semester starts, and yep I was trying to get back in school. The doctor approved me to go back part-time, but that meant full-time to me. Well my new doctor started checking me out from my head to my toes, and that included a mammogram. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t had one in two years {so busy getting back into college} and raising my children.

Well I got back to a full load in school and March 2012 was here before I knew it; and I still hadn’t taken breast exam because I was so busy doing life trying to hurry up and graduate so that I could take better care of my family. As we mothers do I was taking my oldest daughter for a MRI on her knee and remembered that I needed to take my mammogram and I just happened to have the order in the car; and they just happened to have an opening with no appointments for two hours. So I took the test and didn’t think any more about it, except that it was another thing that I could cross off of my to-do list. My doctor’s office had been trying to reach me for a few weeks then I received a certified letter on a Saturday from Simon Med stating that I needed to come back in for an intense mammogram & ultrasound. I looked at that letter and said I don’t have time for this I’ll do it after this semester is over, because I had two semesters of final Spring 2012 and Fall 2011. Plus I didn’t think it wasn’t anything to worry about, but deep down inside I knew that it wasn’t good; even though I wasn’t in any kind of pain.
So I waited until May 2012 {after my finals of both semester} to go back, only to find out that what I feared was in fact true. All I could think of was my children and what would they do without me? I am all they have and both are my parents have already passed. Then I had the option between a lumpectomy or a mastectomy, after a week or so I opted for the lumpectomy. After being scheduled for surgery I went for my MRI, only to find out that I had another section of inactive cancer which means that the lumpectomy was no more an option. Now I’m facing a mastectomy single or double, and it really didn’t matter to me anymore at this point. I thought about my 8 year old son and the burden that it would leave for my older girls. I couldn’t believe that I had reached another all-time low but I knew that God was still in control of everything in my life! At this point I’m half way thought this process and I still have the other half way to go; I won’t give up either. I ended up cutting my hair into a bob 2 months into chemo, and shaved my head bald {do to seeing hair everywhere} 12 am Thanksgiving Day. And needless to say I’ve been bald ever since that day, to go from a head full of long hair most of my life to a bob-cut to bald. Wow life is a trip that you don’t always want to go on, but this ain’t Burger King and we don’t get to have all things our way. But thanks be unto God for all the strength that He is daily giving me; still we single moms raise the occasion of paying bills, taking care of kids, washing clothes, doing the yard, cooking (sometimes), homework, need I say more? So this day of make-up & wigs was such a blessing and so much fun. Thank you ladies soooo much for the invite I enjoyed myself so much, and may God continue to bless you all! Grace & Peace to you all…

Meet beautiful Nicole! Nicole was such a sweetheart! She was so excited about the shoot and because she was able to wear the gorgeous dress she had only worn once 🙂 She wanted to show off her scars…I asked her if she wanted me to photoshop them and she said “No, they don’t bother me!” Truly what a strong beautiful woman she is! Here’s her story:

Hello, my name is Nicole Trotter I am 30 years old and I am a cancer survivor. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in September of 1996. Who would of thought? One day out of the blue I was sitting at work and all of a sudden I could not breathe. I started to panic so my friend rushed me to the ER. I got called back right away and doctors and nurses started running test. They gave me blood test, chest X-rays and CT scans etc. In all this time and running of test I was not prepared for the results. They said my red or white blood cells were not where they should be. A while later they said I may have cancer but couldn’t confirm until a biopsy was done. I had an irregular heart beat and it needed to be monitored so they checked me in as inpatient to have more tests and a biopsy preformed. After a week in the hospital I left with the news that yes I had CANCER. Apparently it’s the best cancer to have because it’s curable. Woohoo. I’m thankful for my parents because like many single parents they have no help. But I had a great family. My mom and dad raised my daughter through my treatments. I have had many treatments. I did six months of chemo which took place every other Friday. After that I went into my first remission. But that didn’t last long and the cancer came back. My doctor decided to do a stem cell transplant using my cells. I had some more chemo. Stronger than before. It killed everything inside of me. I was hospitalized for over 20 days with limited visitors. I didn’t get to see my daughter and that hurt the most. After that was done I went into remission again and then about 15 months later my cancer came back again. I then had to do 11 weeks of radiation everyday on my lunch break. That was rough but I had to work for my insurance. I then went into remission for a third time. I was happy, thought I was done with cancer. But oh no it came back AGAIN. Why me? But I said to myself “you can beat this no matter how many times it comes back”. So my doctor recommended a new chemo. This chemo was no joke. I had to have treatments once a month for 6 months. The chemo would last for about 6 hour’s day for 5 days. The drugs I got put me in the hospital 2 times and I fainted 3 times. Needless to say I was glad when this chemo was over. Now it’s been almost 2 years in remission and I couldn’t be happier. I got through this by telling myself “God will not give me anything I can’t handle”. I believed that. I still believe that. This is God’s plan for me. I got through cancer because I had the support of my family and friends. I have my daughter to fight for. So this is my story and this is my life. I want to share my story with whoever wants to hear it. Maybe my story can help someone else. I’m a cancer survivor and I’m proud.

I had the absolute pleasure of taking pics of this gorgeous lady at our Beautiful YOU! Event. One word I can use to describe her is FEARLESS! She used to model, and I can sooo tell! She worked the camera beautifully!! I LOVED it! Thank you so much for participating in our event Bekki! It was such a pleasure working with you 🙂 Here is more about this fearless, beautiful, woman:

My Name is Beki Neugart I am a two time cancer survivor, I was first diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer in 1999. Which meant it spread to my lymph nodes and had to have surgery,chemo,radiation and became very ill and was in and out of the hospital. It was hard because my daughter was only 3 when I was diagnosed. In a way it was good because I would not want her to remember how sick I was. My daughter was really my only inspiration, don’t get me wrong my family was there for me but my daughter was the only thing keeping me in the fight. I didn’t know this till years later but when my Oncologist came out after performing my surgery he told my family that I only had a 30% chance of surviving! I’m glad they chose not to tell me this but I knew because everyone was treating me like I was dying I was in a very dark place. Through all this my marriage was falling apart as well. All I know is that my faith played a big role in my healing and I was not leaving this earth because I had a daughter to raise. A year later I was back to work and in the midst of getting a divorce and becoming a single mother. I still had 6 month follow up’s and scans yearly to make sure everything was good. 10 years later I found a lump on my breast a Pet scan picked up that I had a greater than 6-8 ct mass in my breast. My Oncologist signed off on my scan as being normal he failed to read my 2nd impression that talked about how I needed a STAT mammogram and biopsy. If it wasn’t for my Rheumatologist who was also aware of my lump and also requested a copy of my Pet scan I would not be here. Let’s just say that Oncologist was fired.. I went through a lot with doctor’s not knowing what was going on and after almost a whole month of just scans I was finally diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer with metastasize to my bone as well. My Oncologist pretty much told me that I was going to die. I was out of there because I was a fighter. Which led me to the Cancer Treatment Center’s of America, my insurance didn’t cover me to go to the center in Arizona but they covered me to go to Chicago, which made no sense to me. I was so happy with my team of doctors that I made the decision to travel back and forth. I do not know to this day how I did it especially when I was going every 2 weeks for chemo. I’m not going to lie it was rough on my body traveling but it was so worth it. I took this cancer a little bit differently I took it as a journey instead of a diagnosis. I also had a better support system and that made a huge difference. I didn’t feel like I was going through it alone. I had a positive attitude and finally found a great team of doctors and a surgeon I could trust. I had 6 chemo treatments, then surgery with a double mastectomy, and they also removed my ovaries after 9 hours of surgery. I was was in a lot of pain they gave me 6 weeks to heal, then I had to go for round 2 of chemo. I was so scared when I first started chemo that I was going to be hospitalized because that’s what happened the first diagnosis. But my doctor was aware of this so he made sure he loaded me up on the nausea meds. Once I completed my chemo I then had radiation which was a breeze but it also was hard because I had to be away from my daughter and my family for a whole month while I was getting my radiation treatment. But I met some great people who were also there going through the same thing. I have been on remission for 3 years praise GOD! I have to get infusion every month for my bones which make me ill and I struggle with pain everyday. I am not complaining because I am here to raise my beautiful 16 year old daughter Brittni. I believe that there is a reason why I was given a second chance in life and that is why I am so involved with a great organization called Singleton Moms who also has helped me so much. If I can share my story and know that it may help someone along the way then I know my job was done.

Meet Amber! One word I can use to describe her, is fierce!! She was so nervous about what angle I should take her pics, cause she preferred a certain one! But seriously, no matter what angle I took, she would come out beautiful! Here is a bit of Amber’s story:

It was March of 2009 when I had first felt the quarter sized lump in my breast. I was only a couple of weeks pregnant with my baby girl Danae. I had already been through some horrific experiences that in my mind altered my perception. October 6, 2007 I lost my nephew in a car accident. He was only two years old at the time. Then I suffered even more loss when my first born son was murdered March 6, 2008. He was only fifteen years old at the time. He was a victim of mistaken identity in a drive by shooting. As if that wasn’t enough I lost another sister to breast cancer. My first sister Stacy died of breast cancer in April of 2005. Then I lost my second sister Veronica to breast cancer in April 2010. Shortly after that my dad died of prostate cancer 0ctober 5, 2010. Even with all the losses from cancer I still chose to ignore the lump. I had told previous doctors that my family history was strong and I needed a mammogram they advised me to wait until I was forty. I told doctors I had a lump they asked if it ran on my mom’s or dad’s side, I said my dad’s and they were not concerned with that side. So, when I felt the lump I just ignored it and figured it would go away but that wasn’t the case. October 4, 2009 I had my new edition to the family Danae Wilson. Her birth must have fueled the cancer because the lump started growing excessively. It wasn’t until the lump was more than five centimeters about the size of a tennis ball or bigger that I went in and had my first biopsy. October 31, 2010. I tried to focus on my kids trick or treating that day but it was hard. The doctor had already advised me she was sure it was cancer and would have the results sent over stat but what she knew I still had hope. That hope turned to hard cold reality on November 1, 2010 when she called me and said “You have stage three breast cancer (invasive carcinoma)”. She had already given me Monique Chang’s number my oncologist and referred me there for three to four rounds of chemotherapy, a bilateral mastectomy, three to four more treatments of chemotherapy and radiation.

When I missed my first two appointments at the Ironwood Cancer & Research Center, she received a call from Melissa Veselovsky.

It was like an angel was sent to me . . . an angel of peace and hope.I feel if it wasn’t for Melissa being there I would probably be at home sitting here dying.

I have given my doctor’s hell the past two years fighting this deadly disease. But after extensive amounts of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation I feel like a new breath of fresh air. August 1, 2012 my Pet Ct showed no cancer (remission). I just had another Pet Ct January 2013 and it is still clear of cancer (remission). I admit it was a long, hard, journey but I made it and I did it with my head held high. All of my hair came out but I kept it Glam with different wigs. It was actually fun I got to change my hairstyle every day and played with different looks. I have my Sasha (Beyoncé wig), Kim K wig, and many more. I just played with really long wigs, medium and short bob wigs. It is currently growing back really quick and soft like baby hair. I love the texture. I will be undergoing reconstruction in March of this year and really look forward to my new boobies. Wish me luck! And to everyone who is a survivor to anything in life Lord knows I’ve had my share. When you look in the mirror remember I’m a survivor I’m not going to stop I’m going to work harder cause ladies and gentleman you are on Fire, Beautiful You! Amen!

I had the absolute pleasure of meeting Josephine at our Beautiful YOU event! She was such a beautiful person, inside and out! She has to be one of the nicest most genuine women I have met in a very long time! Thank you so much for joining us Josephine! It was so so nice to meet you! Here is a little bit more about Josephine:

I wasn’t sure what kind of bio you wanted, but I’ll just share with you a little bit about myself… I’m originally from a small island in the South Pacific, called Samoa. I’m Samoan and Tongan (another island in the South Pacific). I am currently single, but was married for 7 years and decided that it wasn’t for me! LOL… I have 2 boys. One is 5 years old and the other is 2 years old. I was diagnosed with Stage 3C Breast Cancer in July of 2011. I’ve been in 3 different forms of chemo treatments to try and battle this. I’ve returned to a new form of chemo treatments that really wipe me out for the majority of the week, but I’m hoping it goes in and does its job. One of my favorite things to do is sing and play the piano… both of which I do for my church.

As many of you read, I hosted an event with my friend Desiree that we named Beautiful YOU! We teamed up with a wonderful non-profit organization called Singleton Moms. It helps single mothers battling cancer. Some fabulous make-up artists and hair stylists glammed up these ladies, then I took some beautiful glamour shots of each of them! I will be posting photos of the ladies that participated, and sharing their bios they have personally written, so we can get to know them as the strong, beautiful women that they truly are! I cannot say it enough, how amazing and humbling this whole experience was! But we couldn’t have done this alone. It took a wonderful team of people and vendors who volunteered their time, and donated items to help make this event so successful! I’d like to thank the following people/businesses!

OMG!! Is all I can say about this maternity session! My subject is seriously glowing!! She came out here from El Paso, TX and she will be surprising her hubby with these gorgeous images! I cannot wait to hear what his reaction was…she looks stunning 🙂 Enjoy!

I had the pleasure of taking newborn pics of this adorable baby girl in my home studio today! I was finished with the session in about 2 1/2 hrs! That is the first for me LOL Usually newborn shoots take me around 4 hrs! She did sooo good! She was such a GREAT baby 🙂 Mommy & Daddy are just smitten over their little bundle of joy 🙂 Enjoy!

I have to share this beautiful senior album I just mailed out today 🙂 This has to be one of my favorite senior sessions I took last year! My subject was absolutely GORGEOUS!! She totally made my job easy! I love that she chose the collection package that includes the album! It turned out amazing…don’t you think?! I am sure she is going to LOVE showing this off at school 😉